SKY SPORTS' involvement with Welsh soccer will send shock waves through the nation's media and football organisations.

SKY SPORTS' involvement with Welsh soccer will send shock waves through the nation's media and football organisations.

Not least at BBC Wales.

The BBC has long been a staunch supporter of Welsh soccer, sticking with it through the many bad times and the few good. It has tried to promote the game, although many would say not enough.

Times have changed, however. The money offered by Sky is massive for Wales - although a drop in the ocean compared to its other TV deals - and it could be vital in sustaining the growth of the sport here.

Some may argue it will have a negative effect on the sport's popularity. But attendance figures since Sky's involvement with soccer in 1992 tend to prove otherwise.

Sky's soccer coverage has raised the profile of the game in the UK and attracted thousands of new fans to watch the Barclaycard Premiership and Nationwide League. FAW officials will hope for a similar effect in Wales, with some Welsh Premiership matches being televised.

Our under-21 team will also have hitherto unprecedented coverage, with Sky guaranteeing airtime to show at least some of their matches.

Of course, the cynics will argue Sky's interest has come about simply because we take on England in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

There may be some truth in this. However, the FAW has had to look at the bigger picture and the money from Sky is too much to turn down - for the good of the Welsh game.

It means more coverage and more money than ever before and the knock-on effects could mean more sponsorship and a rise in the profile of the Welsh game in Britain and elsewhere.